A Generation X Sagittarian and a Chinese pig, I was born on a Sunday, 52 years, 11 months and 23 days ago, which means I’ll be working on my birthday, this Thursday. But I’m not mad about it. Thanksgiving at Oakland Yard is a short shift - 10am to 2pm - our traditional ‘Here’s your chance to grab that wine, Port, beer or cheese that makes the meal complete’ with locals all duded up and radiating holiday vibes, some enjoying an early afternoon aperitif, and maybe a little break in the wet weather, if we haven’t all floated off by then.

In anticipation of the much-needed rain, we’ve tucked a few new tables inside Oakland Yard for extra indoor seating, and we’ve got more exciting events planned for the coming weeks, including our continuing ‘Welcome Wednesday’ comfort food series, next week featuring Julia’s Japanese curry, which is amazingly delicious, and who wants to cook the night before Thanksgiving? Lion Dance Cafe will be popping up at Tacos Oscar on 11/28 through 12/2 from 5 to 9, and as always, you’re free to bring food from anywhere on the block into Oakland Yard for optimal pairing and immediate enjoyment. We’re also looking forward to tasting again with winemaker Terah Bajjalieh, who will be back at Oakland Yard pouring flights of her current releases on Thursday 12/5 from 5 to 8:30.

But first, TONIGHT...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: WINES for FEASTING - Our picks from around the world for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or just a cozy meal on a rainy weekday.
2022 United Cellars of Tekov Just Kids Muscat - Slovakia
2023 Ridge Vineyards Grenache Blanc - California
2022 Domaine du Chambet Chasselas - Switzerland
2023 Vina Maitia Aupa Pipeno Pais Carignan - Chile
2022 Thymiopoulos Young Vines Xinomavro - Greece
2023 Domaine Rimbert Chant de Marjolaine - France
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 11/23: BEAUJOLAIS FLIGHTS -
Gamay is delicious with just about anything, and a classic pairing for the Thanksgiving meal. Taste a range of styles from Nouveau to the Crus.
2024 Domaine Dupeuble Beaujolais Nouveau
2021 Nicolas Boudeau Brouilly Garanches
2020 Georges Descombes Brouilly
2022 Julien Sunier Fleurie
Flights $20 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm!

Cheers,
Max

There's a line in an Irish sitcom, where the predictably dim-witted sidekick peaks through a curtain to assess the size of a crowd gathering outside. "I'm no good at judging the size of crowds Ted, but I'd say there's about seventeen million of them out there...", he concludes.  

We're still feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for how many of you showed up for the community event this weekend. There was a line of 50 people outside before we even opened and things, happily, never slowed - the waves of kind faces continued to swell all afternoon. No doubt, the caliber and quality of the culinary forces that are Lion Dance Cafe and Daruma Kiosk drew many fans and followers here - along with the exceptional lineup of artists and artisans and the curated treasures filling the booths out back too. 

Beyond the delicious food and ever-flowing wines, beyond the hundreds of fresh Small Change oysters, and the amazing vibes DJ Chungtech brought... I believe that a profound strength of unity was felt by everyone on Saturday. It is such a privilege to gather together with such a dynamic collective, a small fraction of the many vibrant ventures vitalizing this town. In times like these, supporting small, diverse and marginalized businesses is a particular form of protest - and a sheer celebration of the diversity and power of our community.

As we reflected with staff here this week, there will be an ongoing need for real connection, for togetherness. An earnest need to simply gather. And we will be here for that, for you, for all, in the weeks and months and years ahead. A place of warmth and welcome for everyone.

In the spirit of gathering, Julia will be cooking and curating a weekly soup series called WELCOME WEDNESDAYS. Simply put: Soup, bread, wine, good humans. Maybe bring something that brings you happiness (a book, a poem, a candle, a cozy sweater) to pass along to someone else if you wish. But most importantly, bring your kind spirit and your capacity to welcome. WELCOME WEDNESDAYS begin next Wednesday 11/20, from 5-9pm.

But first TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights... French reds and whites
2022 Thevenet & Fils Les Clos Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir
2022 Château Sainte-Marie Petite Marie Cabernet Franc
2022 Combel la Serre Cahors Pur Fruit du Causse Malbec
2023 Prieuré de Saint-Céols Menetou-Salon Le Prieuré Blanc
2022 Domaine la Cabotte Colline Cotes du Rhone Blanc
2023 Les Producteurs Reunis When Life Gives You Oranges
Flight $15 from 5-9pm and wines by the glass until close. 

SATURDAY 11/16: CALIFORNIA FLIGHTS
2023 Joyce Vineyards Mission Ranch Arroyo Seco Albarino
2023 Erggelet Brothers Contra Costa County Malvasia
2014 Domaine de la Terre Rouge Garrigue Sierra Foothills Red
2022 Ridge Vineyards Three Valleys Sonoma County Red 
Flights from 2-6 and wines by the glass from around the globe until 9pm. 

AND Ed's Bread Pop Up returns SATURDAY too!, with artisan breads including sourdough wheat-rye, sourdough flaxseed-wheat, sourdough black sesame togarashi - as well as sweet and savory pastries, scones, and cookies! ED'S BREAD POP UP from 1-4pm!


In solidarity,

Daniel

The sun continues to shine this week. Hummingbirds still feed on the flowering maple, and spiders lurk in the yucca blades, but our people are out of sorts. We are not surprised, but stunned, angry, uneasy, and sad. Platitudes regain their poignancy. One foot in front of the other; together arm in arm. I feel like I’ve been knocked off my horse and may have to carry on alongside for a few days before remounting. We may also need to change horses, but the destination remains the same.

Our little corner of Oakland is still a place of love and kindness, and for this, and so many other wonders in this strange and enormous world, I am grateful. Oakland Yard is not technically a production facility, but we make love and kindness here on 40th and Webster Street every day, and for the last eight years, we’ve welcomed you to come find some of that goodness, and carry it back out into your life to share with others. As long as you’re with us, we’re not going to stop. Come by Oakland Yard this week - crawling, walking, back on the horse - we’ll be circling the wagons with joy and celebrating our eight year anniversary with dancing and deliciousness.

But first, tonight....THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Spanish reds and whites
featuring new arrivals from Ribeira Sacra, Madrid, and Catalonia
2022 4 Monos Vinos de Madrid G10 Garnacha
2022 Guímaro Ribeira Sacra Tinto
2018 Viña Olartia Crianza Rioja
2022 Avinyo Petillant Vi d'Agulla
2023 Gulp Hablo Verdejo
2022 Nuria Renom Lil
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

THIS SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9th from 12-5pm - Celebrate 8 years of OAKLAND YARD! 
With music by DJ Chungtech, food from Lion Dance Café, Small Change Oyster Bar, Daruma Kiosk, and Tacos Oscar.and local artisanal vendors including LADHA Jewelry, Pretty Penny Clothing, The Plant Queen, Pablo Cristi, Rise Above, San Maris Botanicx, Hope Bryson, and others... and we’ll be pouring the newly released BScene Skin-Fermented ‘Orange’ Malvasia made by Oakland Yard superstar Bibi Adams!!! Hope to see you there!

ONE LOVE,

Max

For anyone curious, I'll be a pirate tonight. My kids have been insisting on it, for reasons unknown. They told mom to be a "disco bat", we'll see how that turns out. Our little one is going to be a black cat and her sister a witch. I overheard the older one discussing costumes with her classmates at drop off yesterday, other kids sharing their visions and possibilities. "I'm gonna be a fart", one of the boys proclaimed.

But it's another night of trick-or-treating for many, some off to costume parties, or others hosting movie nights, eerie music and screams emanating from TVs all evening. The loudest scream I think I ever heard was one Halloween in 6th grade, trick-or-treating in my friend's neighborhood. We stopped in at what we thought was the home of another kid from school but had the wrong address. He said they'd have the lights off since they weren't passing out candy and that we should let ourselves in around back. But it wasn't the right home, and his elderly neighbor turned on the lights in her rear kitchen to discover us entering... her shriek scared us (for years) maybe more than we startled her. Even at our height, my friend's Jason Voorhees mask and accessories were probably alarming (though in hindsight it's possible she found my Michael Jackson getup equally frightening).


Whatever your plans are for tonight or for the weekend, we've got you covered - with loads of treats for your parties, movie nights, or cozy hangouts. No tricks here, Just unique (and some unusual), dynamic and delicious bottles to go - and flights and wines by the glass all night and all weekend. Stop in and stock up...or drop by and hang a while with us! Disco bats welcome.

Tonight....THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS!: Syrah & Sauvignon Blanc 
2022 Umathum Sauvignon Blanc
2023 Von Winning Sauvignon Blanc II
2023 Bodkin The Victor's Spoils Sauvignon Blanc
2022 Domaine Sylvain Badel Si le Vin Syrah
2022 Domaine des Entrefaux Les Champs Fourné Crozes Hermitage
2021 SC Pannell Field Street Shiraz
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 10/2: Southeastern French Alpine wines from the Savoie & Isère
2022 Domaine Labbe Abymes
2020 Philippe Viallet Savoie Blanc
2022 Domaine de Ardoisieres Silice Mondeuse
2022 Finot Frères Persan
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9...
We'll be celebrating 8 years of OAKLAND YARD from 12-5pm. We'll have culinary delights from Lion Dance Café, Small Change Oyster Bar, Daruma Kiosk, and Tacos Oscar. Other unique finds and treasures from artists and artisans like LADHA Jewelry, Pretty Penny Clothing, The Plant Queen, Pablo Cristi, Rise Above, San Maris Botanicx, Hope Bryson, and others....Hope to see you there!

Fair winds,
Daniel

I can feel the anticipation quietly building, buzzing like a glassy-winged sharpshooter, frothing like a warm fermentation tank, poised as a Champagne cork without a cage. People are starting to talk about it. We’ve been waiting for this moment all year, and now there’s just a couple more weeks until the big event. That’s right, Oakland Yard is turning EIGHT!!! We’re surpassing seven years with no sign of an itch, still committed and deeply in love with Oakland and the wines of the world. Were we wedded, it would be our Bronze anniversary, and while winemaking dates all the way back to the Neolithic period, the first urban development and the advent of the written word were introduced during the Bronze Age. Where would we be without wine, cities, and words? Well, it’s hard to say, but we’d have to find something else to hang our hats on.

In light of human history, it is barely a moment, a blink of an eye, but for a small business in Oakland, eight years is a good long run, and thanks to you all, we’re just hitting our stride. We’re also in good company: Roses’ Taproom just down Telegraph is celebrating seven years open this Saturday the 26th, and Minimo in Jack London Square will be drinking to their nine years of wine sales next Saturday, November 2nd. And then it’s our turn...come gather with us on Saturday November 9th from 12 to 5pm, to celebrate 8 years of OAKLAND YARD. We'll have tasty bites from Lion Dance Café, Small Change Oyster Bar, Daruma Kiosk, and Tacos Oscar. Other unique finds and treasures from artists and artisans like LADHA Jewelry, Pretty Penny Clothing, The Plant Queen, Pablo Cristi, Rise Above, San Maris Botanicx, Hope Bryson, and others....Hope to see you there!

But first...TONIGHT: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS - Spanish reds and whites from Galicia, Basque Country, Extremadura, Gran Canaria, and Montsant.
2022 Txomin Etxaniz Txakolina
2021 Carballal Cepas Viejas Albarino
2022 Bodegas Romero Prelvm Raposa Naranja
2022 Fronton de Oro Tinto
2023 Vendrell Sere Montsant
2021 Sindicat la Figuera Montsant Garnatxa Negra
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 10/26: SICILIAN WINE FLIGHTS featuring fresh releases from Arianna Occhipinti and a new vintage of ‘orange’ Catarratto from Dario Serrentino.
2023 Occhipinti SP68 Bianco
2023 Serrentino Fuso Cala Bianco Skin Fermented Catarratto
2022 Occhipinti SP68 Rosso
2022 Occhipinti Frappato
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Max

About 10 years ago, when I was making wine and living in Guerneville, my wife and I were invited to a get together up in Anderson Valley, by a new co-worker of hers. We drove over an hour, up the steep curving hills of the Yorkville Highlands, and then up through perilous unmaintained roads winding from Boonville to a tiny remote cabin the host had occasional access to, for reasons never explained. There was a fence that needed opening at some point midway along the final stretch, one that my wife was (literally) shocked to discover was electric and active. Eventually we made it to the cabin where the host was alone and taking a nap. 

Years before, my friend and I were randomly invited to someone's birthday party in the hills of East Hollywood. I can't recall much about the evening, but I do remember trying to find a bathroom and discovering a small room off a dark hallway - a room that was devoted entirely to Corey Haim. Framed professional portraits of him covering the walls, photographs from all stages of his life. A small altar with candles. (I don't know why I don't talk about this discovery more often).

I could share many tales of strange invitations, and unusual situations I landed in - but I can also fill a book and chronicle countless surprises, happy memories, and indelible joys I experienced for simply saying OK I'll see you there... 

This autumn air implores us to gather and connect. And these months ahead will surely challenge our spirits and require community like never before. Come gather here, and celebrate with us, on Saturday November 9th from 12-5, to celebrate 8 years of OAKLAND YARD - and the great joy it has been to be part of this neighborhood and the East Bay community for the past eight years. We'll have culinary delights from Lion Dance Café, Small Change Oyster Bar, Daruma Kiosk, and Tacos Oscar. Other unique finds and treasures from artists and artisans like LADHA Jewelry, Pretty Penny Clothing, The Pland Queen, Pablo Cristi, Rise Above, and others. Outdoor beer and wine bar and DJ too! It's going to be epic, come join us! Don't sleep on it. Grab a loved one or three and say OK, we'll see you there...

But first...TONIGHT: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS - Alpine whites and Austrian Reds
2021 LPhillipe Viallet Savoie Blanc
2022 Domaine du Chambet Chasselas
2019 Taschlerhof Kener
2021 KOLFOLK 'All Universe' Red
2022 Felix BLAU (Blaufrankish)
2020 Winzerin Birgit Wiederstein Ein Traum,
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 10/19: ITALIAN Flights AND EDS BREAD Pop Up returns ... artisan breads (full or half loaves sourdough wheat-rye, sourdough flaxseed-wheat, sourdough black sesame togarashi - as well as sweet and savory pastries, scones, and cookies...
2022 Sagona Primi Passi Bianco
2022 Allesandro Viola 'Note de Bianco' Terre Siciliane
2022 Castello di Verduno Basadone 
2022 La Stoppa Vino Rosso
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

See you soon,
Daniel

Jacquère, Pelaverga, Timorasso...we get excited by obscure grape varieties. At any given moment, the shelves at Oakland Yard contain a parade of unfamiliar grape names and unique flavors, and part of our mission is to bring these lesser known regions and grapes to your attention, and to your dinner table. Today’s wine drinker is iconoclastic, skeptical of tradition and the power it protects, eager to embrace the unconventional, and dubious that a wine will deliver pleasure commensurate with a higher cost. And generally, we’re right there with you.

But Daniel and I also have a great love of ‘classic’ styles, wines from well-established regions your grandparents may have enjoyed, like Rioja, Barolo, and Bordeaux, and sometimes it feels like we’re so busy looking for the new thing that we forget how really satisfying a tried-and-true, ‘traditional’ wine can be. There are reasons why, for hundreds of years, people have held French Burgundy in such high esteem. The wines can be incredibly complex and expressive, fruity, earthy, and mineral, with a pinpoint balance of sweetness and acidity. As I was reminded this week, drinking good Burgundy is a wonderfully specific experience. As the wine’s aromas and flavors change in the glass with air, each sip holds a new interest that makes you want to come back for another. Join us this Saturday while we set aside the rare varieties, the au courante vins de soif, orange wines, and pet-nats, and reach for the celebrated and dependable, though still somehow surprising, joys of Burgundy with flights of four delicious examples.

But first...TONIGHT: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS - California whites and Italian Reds
2021 Loella Pinot Gris
2023 Ridge Vineyards Grenache Blanc
2022 Bannister Gittens Vineyard Dry Creek Valley Ribolla Gialla
2021 Fuso Cantine Polvanera Calx Primitivo
2021 Scarpa Barbera d’Asti Casa Scarpa
2021 Castello di Tassarolo Orsola Monferrato Rosso
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 10/12: Burgundy Flights - Taste two whites and two reds that show the elegance and complexity of wines from this renowned region.
2022 Domaine Grivot-Goisot Côtes d'Auxerre Bourgogne Blanc
2021 Domaine Robert-Denogent Macon-Villages
2021 Domaine Bader-Mimeur Bourgogne Rouge Dessous les Mues
2022 Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Hautes Côtes de Nuits Rouge
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Max

I rented a van yesterday to pick up a couple bookcases I found on Craigslist.  I called the local Uhaul to confirm what they had in stock, and the representative on the phone was barely 20 seconds into the process when his voice changed dramatically, and he asked me to hold. The line wasn't muted, so I could here hear what initially sounded like maybe a sneeze building. But an extended sniffling continued, along with what next sounded like panting, or even more so like sobbing. Some muffled, anguished communication was shared with another employee. Ah, god, no!... she replied from a nearby counter as the sobbing sounds continued. Damn, she continued, Everyone going through something this week... I heard her trail off. 

A minute later he was back on the line and re-engaged. Sorry for the wait, he said, like nothing happened. It felt intrusive to ask about his problems, but I checked in, clumsily: Is.. everything..OK??  I could hear him back at the keyboard. Oh yeah, All good. A mosquito flew up my nose - AGAIN - but I wasn't gonna let THIS one die up there... Will you be needing a van or a truck?


I sat down at my computer with the intention of thanking everyone for coming out to the amazing Urelio's Pizza event in the back lot Saturday. Or to tell you to SAVE THE DATE for our 8 Year Anniversary Party on November 9th! Or maybe just to let you know about our flights tonight, and about Peter Andrews of CULTURE WINE CO. pouring South African wines this Saturday! But now I'm thinking about the boxes of books that I need to unpack to fill these empty bookcases - and thinking about a lost mosquito who just may have survived the mucus membranes of a sensitive Uhaul service agent, perhaps only momentarily. 

TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights! Italian Whites and Spanish Reds
2023 La Biancara Angiolino Maule Masieri Bianco
2023 Bruno Verdi Pinot Grigio
2023 Elvio Tintero Vino Bianco Secco
2019 Agricole Macatho 'Tinajacura' Cinsault/Carignan
2020 Maturana Negra San Francisco
2020 Clos de Luz "Massal 1945" Carmenere
Flights $15 from 5 to 9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY: Peter Andrews of CULTURE WINE CO. pouring South African Flights
2020 Luddite Saluez "le Saboteur" White Blend 
2022 Brookdale Estate 'Mason Road' Chenin Blanc
2021 Klein Amoskuil QVEVRI Red Blend
2021 Magna Carta Wine 'Mphumi' Indlu Shiraz
Flights $20 from 2 to 6 and wines by the glass from around the globe until 9pm!


Bless you,

Daniel

After a week of rest and relaxation, followed by a week of work and isolation, I’ve begun to make plans to reemerge. My partner and social director is traveling, and our home is as oddly still as those of our friends whose teenagers have just flown the coop. I forget how disorienting September can be, as we revisit our obligations and intentions after the lull of late summer. And I feel disconnected from my people. They’ve been in far-off places, then to a wedding somewhere, then bed-ridden, stricken by the newest edition of our perennial affliction, and now they’re out of sight, drafting austerity measures, knuckling down, and preparing to launch this year’s marble.

So I’m calling them up and calling them out, to a dinner here and a coffee there, to reconnect and examine life’s complexities together, with many eyes, the only way to rightly see. I’m thirsty for their observations and reservations, their stories, worries, and laughter, and tired of my own, as one grows tired of their go-to salad dressing. “What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.” I find some things in life too difficult to digest on one’s own, too tough to get my head around, or impossible to hold or even handle, without some trusted help. Lean on your friends; get out and see your people; invite them for a walk or a lunch or a tasting flight at Oakland Yard, the optimal place to collectively ruminate, address the problems of the world and appreciate its wonderment. In addition to our daily wines by the glass, we’ve got several events planned this week that are bound to be joyous and lively, including rosé tasting flights Saturday and Urelio’s Pizza this Sunday. Come on by and bring a friend!

But first...TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Spanish Reds and French Whites
2021 Linaje del Pago Rojo Carmin Listán Negro
2022 Casa Balaguer Tragolargo Monastrell 2022 Bodegas D Mateo La Mateo Rioja
2022 Domaine Labbé Abymes
2023 Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet
2022 Domaine Fouet Saumur Blanc
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 9/28: 2023 ROSÉ from all over the world - Dry, still, pink wine from Austria, France, California, and Sicily!
2023 Felix Rosy Rosé
2023 Marc Plouzeau Château de la Bonnelière Rive Gauche Chinon Rosé
2023 Las Jaras Superbloom
2023 Scalunera Etna Rosato
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

AND ***THIS SUNDAY*** September 29th: The long-awaited return of URELIO'S PIZZA! We are thrilled to host Former Chez Panisse cook, Sam Cicarreli, brings his roving pizza oven to our lot for an afternoon of pizza and wine and other delights! Pizzas sold individually from Urelio's truck from 1-4 pm (or until sold out!). Wine and beer by the glass from us at our outdoor bar. Event will be in the back lot. All are welcome!

Cheers,
Max

Being a creature of habit, I used to park at the same intersection a few blocks from my daughter's kindergarten nearly every morning. While I enjoyed the leisurely walk with my little one to school, there was a long stretch of time where I enjoyed the walk back just as much. Because all along the way, stubborn sidewalk chalk messages remained, for many weeks and months after the school "Move-a-thon" fundraiser that saw kids zooming by and counting laps around the blocks.

The messaging was completely out of context so long after the event. And the words would have been absurd if not still received with such welcome, and perhaps, with some silent need on many mornings. Keep Going! one cement square would read. Then I'd come across DON"T STOP NOW! in rainbow colors a minute later. One could still make out Stay Hydrated! with a little bottle illustration. And further down just before my car, was the ever encouraging You GOT THIS! accompanied by a sweet, clunky thumbs up. Some days I'd notice other parents pausing before certain squares too, most avoiding the colorful marks and stepping around the text. Some heads seeming to be a little higher after passing. Some walking a little lighter.

Four years ago, in the midst of the pandemic and the presidential election cycle, Booker Riley quietly crafted his first batch of wines against extreme odds and circumstances. He brought into the shop during those tumultuous days, a red fizzy wine that had a simple illustration of a cartoon dinosaur wearing a small party hat, blowing a horn, enjoying the moment, even as a meteor in the distance was approaching. The back label simply read EVERYTHING IS OK. That wine disappeared from our shelves faster than any I can recall. The wines themselves reflect the messaging and their labels. They are playful, honest, defiant, hopeful. These limited bottles are made nearby in Richmond, CA, in a collective with Purity Wine and others who are committed to working with farmers of organic vineyards and making low-intervention, most often zero-zero wines. Come check out these wines and the current releases of Everything is Okay with us this Saturday from 2-6. AND Ed's Bread Pop Up returns SATURDAY too!, with artisan breads including sourdough wheat-rye, sourdough flaxseed-wheat, sourdough black sesame togarashi - as well as sweet and savory pastries, scones, and cookies!

But first, TONIGHT: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS...Spanish whites and Sicilian reds
2023 Fermi Bohigas Xarel-lo
NV Brincadeiro Naturalmente Turbio
2022 Gramona Gessami Blanco
2021 Due Terre Nivuru Terre Siciliane Rosso 
2022 Funaro Nero d'Avola
2022 Ayunta Nerello Mascalese
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 9/21 - Special Tasting with Wiley Rogers, pouring FLIGHTS of the current EVERYTHING IS OKAY lineup.
EVERYTHING IS OKAY Red Fizz
EVERYTHING IS OKAY Lite Red
EVERYTHING IS OKAY It’s Wine
EVERYTHING IS OKAY Amber Wine
Flights $18 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!


Stay hydrated. You got this.

Daniel

In Farmington, New York, where I’m from, July and August see highs in the eighties and nineties, but when September hits, temperatures drop precipitously, bottoming out in January and February when the mercury hovers between fifteen and thirty-five. I distinctly remember the odd feeling of stiffly freezing nose-hairs with each inhale as I waited for the schoolbus in winter. The change is predictable, but constant and extreme, and you can be sure these changes affect one’s life, including your mood, diet, and wardrobe, which ranges from flip flops to snow boots, and singlets to parkas.

“Do you miss the seasons?” New Englanders ask, but I never got the chance. After the first few years of not missing the freeze, I started to notice other seasons in Northern California. They are different - more subtle - and there are many more than four. Fall and winter together are the season of the reaching sun, when its lowered arc throws light more deeply into Oakland Yard, and we must keep watch that our bottles nearest the windows are properly shaded. December through March is elephant seal season in Point Reyes National Seashore, when we picnic on Drake’s beach alongside snorting, blubbery, four-thousand pound phocids. Tomato season in California goes from April to November, a length that never fails to amaze New Yorkers. Some California seasons are less predictable: fluctuations in nature and the Pacific Fishery Management Council together determine the salmon and crab season. And of course, there is the dreaded fire season, which grows longer and more formidable by the year. Currently, we are in the middle of wine grape harvest season, which can range from August to October, depending on winter, spring, and summer weather, as well as differences in climate and grape variety.

In celebration of this special time, we’ll be pouring California wine tasting flights all week at Oakland Yard, including this Saturday, when Cary Quintana will pour flights of her Cary Q Wines. With a low-intervention philosophy that also focuses on working with organic or sustainably farmed vineyards, Cary is all about capturing pure and vibrant varietal expressions. A minimalist at heart, and sensorily vigilant, her wines see native fermentations and a light hand in the cellar, and her aim is “to highlight a distinction between time, place, and the diversity of what our micro-climates offer in our beautiful part of the world.” Come meet Cary this Saturday and celebrate the season!

But first...TONIGHT - THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: California reds and whites made with fruit from the Central Coast, Clements Hills, Lodi, Lake County, Mendocino, and Green Valley 2023 Monte Rio Sauvignon Blanc
2023 Terah Wine Co. Vermentino
2021 Phantômé Cellars Gruner Veltliner
2023 Las Jaras Glou Glou
2022 Tessier Day Dreaming Red
2021 Ultraviolet Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 9/14: CARY Q WINEMAKER TASTING - Special guest Cary Quintana pours flights of four of her small-production wines spanning the past three vintages.
2023 Vibes! Picpoul Blanc
2023 Crazy/Perfect Cinsault
2021 Cosmic Dance Grenache & Syrah
2022 Hollis Mourvedre
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,

Max

My parents should have been suspicious of me saying goodnight and heading to my bedroom with zero resistance. I was around 8 and I'd seen the commercial for the made-for-TV horror drama promoted all week as a special that night. I knew there was no chance in hell they'd allow me to watch, so I had discreetly placed a small mirror beneath the small accent table in the opposite corner of the living room, angled just right, so that the TV picture could be viewed from down the hallway outside my bedroom. It was a simple, absurd machination that kind of worked, to a degree. I couldn't actually make out any of the graphic details, but straining to focus on the images in the dark and the tension of the distant music in the eerie hallway (along with the real fear of getting caught) was unsettling enough. Eventually my legs and my patience grew weary by the third commercial break and I retreated to bed. In the morning, relieved by daylight and chatter, I returned my sister's mirror before fixing myself a bowl Honey Nut Cheerios. All of them none the wiser, I think.

I'm writing you from Los Angeles, where I'll be for a spell, spending more time with my parents and family here. And this month I feel like a sad boy holding my little mirror, missing out on the real thing. While I'm still checking in daily with Max and the amazing staff there, the FOMO feelings are strong. Especially with the stellar lineup of events happening all this month. Along with our usual weekly flights and bar happenigns, we'll have Cary Quintana of CARY Q Wines here on Saturday 9/14. The follwiong week, Saturday September 21st, Wiley from EVERYTHING IS OK Wines will be here pouring a new lineup AND Ed's Bread Pop Up returns with artisan breads (full or half loaves sourdough wheat-rye, sourdough flaxseed-wheat, sourdough black sesame togarashi - as well as sweet and savory pastries, scones, and cookies... AND on Sunday Spetember 29th: we are thrilled to announce the long-awaited return of URELIO'S PIZZA! Former Chez Panisse cook, Sam Cicarreli, brings his roving pizza oven to our lot for an afternoon of pizza and wine and other delights! Pizzas sold individually from Urelio's truck from 1-5 pm (or until sold out!). Wine and beer by the glass from us at our outdoor bar. Event will be in the back lot. All are welcome! 

I'll be back up to hang with you all very soon... keep the space warm for me.

Cheers,

Daniel

ONE-TWO-THREE... All French Flights tonight and all weekend. New arrivals and staff favorites. Roll in! TONIGHT... THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Beaujolais and Alsace Riesling
2021 Ribeauville Riesling
2021 Kuentz Bas Riesling
2022 Domaine Wassler Riesling
2022 Petit Perou Tu m’tiens au jus Beaujolais Villages
2021 Nicolas Boudeau Brouilly Garanches
2022 Jean Paul Brun Terres Dorées l’Ancien Beaujolais Villages
Flights $15 from 5-9and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 9/7: New French whites from Burgundy and Gaillac & reds from the Savoie and Bordeaux
2022 Les Champs de Themis Bouzeron Les Clous Aligoté 
2023 Domaine de Brin Pierres Blanches Gaillac Blanc
2022 Domaine de Ardoisieres Silice Rouge Mondeuse
2022 Tire Pe Diem Bordeaux Rouge
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

This morning, I selected twenty-four different light to medium-bodied, dry, organic reds to assemble a regular order I’ve been filling for dear friends every few months for several years. These folks live too far from Oakland Yard to come by the shop often, so they usually ask that I bring them a couple of cases of my picks in their favored style whenever we manage to visit. I think it’s sweet they trust me, and rarely give more direction than We liked this one. Maybe I always pick the perfect wines for them, or perhaps they’re just easy to please.

Americans make many, many decisions every day, and we believe choice is good; indeed, it is the basis of free will and, for some, the key to happiness. On most occasions, I too value my freedom to choose, but at times there is something unburdening about having limited choices. Games like chess, forms such as sonnets or sonatas, are defined by their structure, valued for their constraints and restrictions. In the realm of food and wine, a prix-fixe at a trusted restaurant is a pleasure, and a well considered wine pairing can illuminate a meal. Even the airplane menu, with its perennial meat-or-vegetable duality, makes choosing a little simpler during the course of what is almost certainly not a simple journey. Eating seasonally from the garden or market helps limit one’s choices, and a weekly CSA farm box means you rarely spend too much time deciding what to cook. In many parts of the world, they only drink the local wine. A traditional Basque Txakoli producer once asked, “Why do they want to buy our wine? Don’t they have their own?”

Whether it’s a signature cocktail or a local specialty, you must possess an open mind and broad taste to surrender to such fate, but less deliberation means more doing, in this case eating and drinking. Every week at Oakland Yard, we make some hard decisions about what to include in our tasting flights, so you don’t have to. We’ll provide some structure - a growing region or grape variety - so you’re not hanging out there all willy-nilly with too many choices, and if it’s a bottle or six or twelve you’re in for, we can help you pick those out as well.

TONIGHT...THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Sicilian whites & French Cabernet Franc
2022 Gorghi Tondi Grillo
2022 Masseria del Feudo Grillo
2021 Fuso Cala Bianco Terre Siciliane Skin Fermented Catarratto
2022 Domaine du Bel Air Jour de Soif Bourgueil
2021 Les Athlètes du Vin Chinon
2019 Domaine de Nerleux Saumur-Champigny
Tasting flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm

SATURDAY 8/30: Spanish wine flights - Xarel-lo from the Penedes & Tempranillo from Rioja
2023 Vins El Cep ‘Ot De Vins El Cep Xarel-lo
2022 Clandestina Blanc Fugitiu Blanco
2019 Ramirez de la Piscina Rioja
2016 Lopez de Heredia Vina Cubillo Rioja
Tasting flights $20 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm

Decisively and decidedly,

Max

My first wine harvest was in 2009. My friend and I were working at a local wine shop and eventually decided to give up our teaching jobs and give winemaking a go. Anyone who has worked a harvest will tell you there’s nothing like your first harvest, working harder than you’ve ever been pushed, and the satisfaction that comes with working with your hands and helping create something. In contrast to the magic of fermentation and the camaraderie of the cellar, many of us would also see the curtain pulled back and experience some disillusionment. Some friends might end up working for 'absentee winemakers' who would just send in work orders for their program, other interns could end up working for big operations, where pneumatic machines might do punch-downs and wines would end up in massive tanks five times the height of the building.

I was lucky to work for and alongside a winemaker named Byron Kosuge. Working hands-on at all times, with dozens of micro-lots, fermenting different varieties in single bins - all moving at different stages - each requiring individual care and attention. While I look back on our time and think of him as a teacher, he would more likely present himself as a student – always exploring opportunities to learn more, to experiment with different techniques and vessels like concrete eggs, There was never a single fermentation that he wasn’t there to experience daily, not a vineyard that he himself was not sampling daily to coordinate and call the pick - when he determined optimum balance of ripeness and acidity.

He's much too humble to be celebrated, so I won’t talk much more about him today. But I am grateful that there are local, independent winemakers like him, here in the bay area who are so dedicated in this way to their craft. Ever hands-on, never cutting corners. Still bringing immeasurable time, care, and integrity to their wines. Elevating Califonia wines and keeping the dream alive. We are blessed to have so many amazing small, local producers here on our shelves and at our bar, in person or being poured by the glass or in flights here. Thank you all to all who came out to meet Sabrina Tamayo and taste Ruby Blanca wines a couple weeks ago, and thank you to all who still support the exceptional, small local producers like Isa Wines, Terah Wine Co. Ram Cellars, B. Kosuge, Trail Marker Wine Co., Martha, Stoumen... too many to name, so many to explore and enjoy. Stop in this weekend and check out some new local favorites!

But first... TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights!
Pinot Noir from France, California & Oregon and German whites...
2022 Quentin Harel Pinot Noir
2023 Folk Machine Central Coast Pinot Noir
2022 Maison Noir OPP Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
2023 Von Winning Sauvignon Blanc II
2021 Kaiserstuhl Königschaffhausen Blanc de Noir
2022 Josef Rosch Riesling Kabinett Leiwen Klostergarten
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 8.24: Califirnia Flights...All new arrivals!!! 
2023 Orixe Sotelo Nebola White
2021 Edaphos by Ernest Petite Arvine 
2022 B Kosuge El Galpon Carneros Pinot Noir 
2021 Filomena Wine Co. St Laurent
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

P.S. While you're checking out next-level independent local winemakers here, also check out some of our new pantry items like local Olive Oil from Fat Gold and Like Family, local Tomales Bay Creamery and Cypress Grove cheeses, or new favorites salts and hand-crafted spice blends from Oaktown Spice Shop!


Cheers,

Daniel

In his newsletter a few weeks ago, Daniel compared Oakland Yard to a record shop, with an ever-changing assortment of delights, old and new, carefully curated for a variety of tastes. A good bookstore also shares many of these qualities. We all deal in standard formats with endless variation, and while digital technology has rendered concrete books and records unnecessary, many of us continue to read and listen to them. There used to be more record shops, bookstores, and wine merchants, before America fully embraced Amazon. Independent small retail businesses are now quaint - unusual and old-fashioned.

I enjoy being in a space surrounded by goods for sale, organized, displayed, and variously labeled, feeling the weight of an LP in my hand, or the textured cover of a newly printed hardcover, in the company of others who value these things too. A good retail shop has friendly and well informed clerks who, if you consult them often enough, will learn your tastes and help you find what you may not even know you were looking for. These specialists often have esoteric knowledge and may be quirky, sly, or humorous. I prefer friendly clerks to algorithms.

For these reasons, and many more, I was terribly sad to hear that on July 30th, our local East Bay Booksellers suffered a fire that completely destroyed their store on College Avenue. It makes me a little teary to consider the stacks of smoldering books where I often browsed so happily. Gilman Street Brewing has stepped up to host several of the bookstore’s upcoming scheduled events and a GoFundMe account has been established for donations. If you too love a good local bookstore, and value a vibrant small business community, please share some support with our friends at East Bay Booksellers!

TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights: White wines from Oregon and Reds from Spain
2023 Breanne Day Vin de Days White
2023 Ovum Big Salt White
2021 Kelley Fox Nerthus Skin-Fermented White
2018 Viñedos del Jorco Las Cabañuelas Cebreros
2021 Linaje del Pago Rojo Carmin Tenerife Listan Negro 2018 Viña Olartia Crianza Rioja
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY POP UP - ED'S BREAD at OAKLAND YARD!!!
Ed's Breads will be offerings the following at this Saturday's pop-up:
Artisan breads (full/half loaf): sourdough wheat-rye, sourdough flaxseed-wheat, sourdough black sesame togarashi as well as sweet and savory pastries: ginger scone, savory turnover (mushroom|greens|goat cheese) and chocolate chip cookies! Roll up - you will be as excited as we were after we sampled these delights... Ed's Bread Pop Up Saturday August 17th from 1-4pm

Also this SATURDAY 8/17: Rosé Flights - Four more dry and delicious 2023 French pink wines
2023 Lelièvre Gris Pique-Nique Côtes de Toul Rosé
2023 Domaine Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Rosé
2023 Domaine Philippe Gilbert Menetou-Salon Rosé
2023 Château Pradeaux Bandol Rosé
Flights $20 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

See you in the shop,
Max

I've been moving this past week. With our two little ones we've accumulated a lot of odds and ends, from playhouses to bikes to giant stuffed sharks (and dear old "Ghostie"). The wear and tear is much worse too. I found myself painting over some "wall art", the result of one of them finding new use for mom's nail polish. When I think we've cleaned every wall, corner, sill, and baseboard, there’s always a little more.

The movers loaded a truck yesterday, and after I spent most the week annoyed with myself for having rented a far too large model, it turned out my imagined error was a blessing, as we would've been in a real jam with less room. There was just enough room for everything.

I get very attached to houses. To the stories the walls can tell. How gatherings within these spaces forge friendships. How past invitations become forever memories. In the now empty rooms I see the phantoms of my little ones tearing around, up to shenanigans, but I also see friends here and there, laughing like grown up children. When my mind is exhausted and my heart full, another happy memory enters, then another. Always room for more. 

Nearly on the other side of it now, the thing that strikes me most about moving is that for all the backbreaking work - the packing, coordinating, the cleaning, the loading... all these challenges are balanced by the kind work of others. Those who offered to help load, those who prepared meals for us the last couple nights so we didn’t have to cook or clean another plate. A neighbor who brought us ice cold beers one afternoon at just the right time. Friends who showed up in the early morning on moving day to bring fresh pastries and just brewed coffee, served in mugs from their home.

Just as my heart feels too full with sentiment, with memories, with gratitude - another small kindness is offered. And another. There’s just enough room for it.

THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS: Austrian reds and Portuguese whites
2022 Trapl Uni6
2019 Prieler Blaufränkisch 
NV Moric Hausmarke Rot
2022 Anselmo Mendes Contacto Alvarinho
2022 Filipa Pato Dinamica Vinho Branco
2021 Luis Seabra Xisto Ilimitado Douro Branco

SATURDAY 8/10: Alyssa Papiernik pours new Italian wines from FARM WINE IMPORTS
2023 Angiolino Maule Masieri Bianco 
2023 Saetti Rosso Viola Lambrusco
2022 Foradori Teroldego
2022 La Stoppa Trebbiolo 

Keep rolling,

Daniel

The pathways that lead one to work with wine are many and varied. You may be born a Rothschild, a Mondavi, or the anonymous babe of migrant pickers. Some are raised among the vines, while others trade city life for dirt rows and secateurs. One’s education can be ‘hands-on’ or theoretical, and may involve study and diplomas, but also hazing, scars, and chutzpah. Chilean winemaker Macarena del Río once rode her bicycle right up the path to Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion and requested a job, successfully!

Many of us, especially those trained in the fine arts, are ‘bitten by the wine bug’ while working in restaurants, where unskilled openings are plentiful and wine knowledge and appreciation is shared and cultivated. Engaged in the work of hospitality, we find the history and practice of winemaking both fascinating and closely tied to cultural heritage. Marked by the unmistakable fingerprints of humanity, wine tasting brings sensual pleasure and intellect together in an artful way, each bottle new, unique and changeable, yet part of a timeless tradition.

Winemaker Sabrina Tamayo and I started out in very different places, but our last couple of turns led to our meeting. Sabrina grew up in Miami and studied painting in Pennsylvania, where she learned to love wine through restaurant work. From Pennsylvania, Sabrina went to New York and began studying to become a sommelier. She then worked harvests in California at Ryme Cellars and Bedrock Wine Co. and in 2021 Sabrina joined the flagship Two Eighty Project apprenticeship program in partnership with Steve Matthiason and UC Davis and began working full time in the vineyards and winery with Les Lunes Wines. Superbly skilled and wonderfully good-natured, Sabrina takes pride in being one of only a few queer, Latinx, and female winemakers, and I’m delighted that our paths have crossed here in California, and will again this Saturday afternoon from 2 to 6, when Sabrina will pour tasting flights of her Ruby Blanca Wines new releases. Come join us and meet the winemaker!

But first...TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights - Loire Valley Whites and La Boutanche Liters
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne or Selection Massale’s stellar cartoon-festooned proprietary bottlings of natty, drinky-drinky, rouge-de-soif liters
2023 Domaine de la Pepiere La Pepie Muscadet
2022 Tardieux Gal Touraine Sageres Sauvignon Blanc
2022 Sebastien Brunet Vouvray Sec Arpent
2022 Martin Texier La Boutanche Cinsault
2023 Olivier Minot La Boutanche Gamay
2022 Broc Cellars La Boutanche Red
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 8/3: Winemaker Sabrina Tamayo pours Ruby Blanca Wines tasting flights
All new releases from organically farmed vineyards in Lodi, California
2023 Ruby Blanca Borden Ranch Albariño
2023 Ruby Blanca Clements Hills Nero D'Avola Rosato
2023 Ruby Blanca Clements Hills Skin Fermented Ribolla Gialla
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Max

For much of my life, I’d be the one charged to answer the red phone, at all hours of the night. Not referencing politics here, I’m talking about the emergency of friends or family members plagued by a melody they can't place, whether a catchy commercial jingle or some cheesy pop hit of yesteryear,. They’d have a couple bars ("Dah-dah-DAH-DAAAH-dum-duuum...or something like that?"), or the loosest lyric (“Something about a heart maybe??"). One of my superpowers is my ability to frequently tap into the musical universe and more often than not deliver the answer. "It’'s 'Don’t Go Breaking My Heart', by Elton John and Kiki Dee", I’d say, happy to give them and myself a good night's rest.

At our staff meeting recently, we were chatting about good vibes in the shop and music obviously came up. Francis said he sees folks frequently raising their phones towards a speaker, employing a song recognition app to identify a single from our playlist. 

I’ve always enjoyed playing DJ at shops and bars and wineries I’ve worked at, and I've loved working with so many people over the years who feel the same way – eager to provide an upbeat or fitting soundtrack for cellar work or for a stocking session, or now quite commonly here, dropping tunes for the evening crowd, seeing folks nodding to the beat or singing along, everyone enjoying wine and tacos and music together.

It struck me at our meeting, that in many ways, our wine selection is not so different than a great record store. Max, the seasoned DJ in this way - and staff here too - selecting fresh, new drops for your consideration and enjoyment. Each week, new artists joining some of our greatest hits among these walls. With our teenage fan club hearts, we are ever eager for the newest releases from our favorite producers, and excited to share these new hits with you, feeling fine about any being a one hit wonder or perhaps a future classic. Hopefully memorable either way. Maybe even worth calling a friend about.

TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights! Italian Whites and Reds...
2021 Pomodolce Diletto Derthona Timorasso
2022 Centopassi Giato Bianco
2022 Agnanum Bianco Sabbia Vulcanica Falanghina
2023 Agnanum Rosso Sabbia Vulcanica Piedirosso
2021 Cincinnato Nero Buono Polluce
2019 Terra d'Aligi Tatone Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close

SATURDAY 7/27: All New French Rosé! Delightful and dry, all fresh new arrivals. Every one a banger. Call a friend and boogie on down this Saturday from 2-6. 
2023 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Vin Rosé
2023 Plouzeau Rive Gauche Chinon Rosé
2023 Crochet Sancerre Rosé
2023 Collotte Marsannay Rosé
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Daniel

In a world made of stories, we are co-authors and main characters. Our days and lives play out alongside those of others, much like the days and lives of those who came before and those who will follow. At times, our engagement with events makes certain hours, weeks, or years feel pivotal to the action, the plot, our narrative arc. We are always building it, but we don’t know where it will take us. At my annual medical checkup this week, after touching on alcohol and exercise, my doctor asked: “How are you feeling mentally?” I let out a little chuckle, and said, “I think I’m pretty good.” “Yeah,” he said, “it’s a tricky question these days.”

Last week, at the Château of Angers in the Loire Valley, I saw what’s left of a Neolithic cairn with burial chambers built over four thousand years ago, and walked the grounds where, in the year 851, Viking leaders Ragnar Lodbrok and Bjorn Cote de Fer came after the French king Charles the Bald. I also viewed the Tapestry of the Apocalypse, an enormous, woolen wonder of medieval art commissioned by the Duke of Anjou in the late 14th century. Created at the height of the hundred years war and shortly following the Black Death, it relates the grim tale of the Book of Revelation, the final battle between good and evil, in a series of colorfully woven scenes. Pre-printing press, this elaborate rug was made to demonstrate the glory of the Duke and to illustrate the importance of faith to a broken populace. It seems to say, “Your choice: blessed beatitude or grotesque, eternal suffering.” Now, it also says, “We’ve been here before, or even somewhere worse,” and asks, “What have we learned?”

Well, for one, three hundred years later - from the French monk, Dom Pérignon - we learned to make sparkling wine by the Champagne method, with a second fermentation begun in the bottle. Prior to 1697, all vinous bubbles were made Methode Ancestrale, by capturing the CO2, a natural byproduct of fermentation. Also called Pétillant naturel, or Pet-Nat, methode ancestrale wines are bottled before they finish their primary fermentation and tend to have lower alcohol and sometimes a yeast-y, toastiness that complements their fruit flavors and acidity. What’s emerged as a ‘trend’ in small production sparkling wines is actually the origin of good bubbly. Come sample four fresh takes on this ancient style at our tasting bar this Saturday afternoon!

But first...TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights - Italian Nebbiolo and Rhone Valley whites
2022 Elvio Tintero Langhe Nebbiolo
2022 Cavalier Bartolomeo Enfant Langhe Rosso
2021 Serio e Battista Borgogno Nebbiolo d’Alba
2022 Domaine la Cabotte Colline Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc
2021 Cave Cluzel Roussanne
2021 Domaine de la Grande Colline Bibendum Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 7/20: Pétillant naturel AKA méthode ancestrale... A refreshing lineup of four dry, low-alcohol, organically farmed, sparkling Pét-nats from Croatia, Portugal, and France.
- Domaine Coteaux des Margots Vin Mousseux Aligoté Pétillant naturel
- Pomalo Debit Pétillant naturel
- Quinta da Raza Pet Nat Vinho Branca
- Lise et Bertrand Jousset Éxilé Rosé Pétillant
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

And please note *** We will be closing at 7pm this Monday 7/22 for a special event***

Hang in there,
Max

A man walks into a bar in Ireland. He orders three pints and carries them to a table and sips from each glass, alternating pints until all of them are empty. He returns a week later and does the same thing, ordering three pints and drinking from each glass until they're all gone. The next time he stops in, the bartender recognizes him and inquires as to why he doesn't just want one pint at a time. 

"It's sort of a family tradition" the man explains. "I have two brothers, and we live all over the globe and don't get to see each other very often. So we do this wherever we are, to feel like we're all together." The bartender smiles and nods in approval, pulling three pints for the man. This continues for several months as the man becomes a regular, the other town folk aware of his sentimental tradition.  

But one night, the man walks in and approaches the bar slowly. "Just two pints, please" the man says softly. A solemn quiet falls over the room. The bartender pulls the two pints and pushes them forward gently with his head bowed. "On the house..." he offers. "I'm so very sorry for your loss." 

Confused, the man pauses, then registers and says, "Oh no no no, we're all fine. I just gave up drinking."


Max and Julia are away for a few more days. They sent greetings from Montlouis a couple days ago. And while they are enjoying local glasses in the Loire Valley, I figured we could capture that sprit and do the same tonight ... and feel like we're all together. So stop in and enjoy three delightful wines from the Loire - we'll be pouring both red and white flights and raising glasses to loved ones near and distant. Come join us.

TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights... Red and White Flights from Loire valley
2023 Thomas Labaille L'Authentique Sancerre
2023 Reau & Jousset Pulpe FJC#!@N Muscadet
2022 Domaine Fouet Saumur Blanc
2021 Domaine Timothée Delalle La Burette Rouge
2019 Domaine de Nerleux Saumur Champigny Rouge
2022 Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme Le Telquel
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 7/11: New California Flights! A delicious line up of four low alcohol, minimal intervention wines made locally and organically...
2023 Lieu Dit Melon
2022 Erggelet Brothers Malvasia Bianca (skin contact)
2023 Ram Cellars Forbidden Cats Merlot
2018 Purity Bay Laurel Mourvédre
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Daniel